Bill Samuels, Democratic Candidate for State Senate President and Lieutenant Governor, today announced that disgraced State Senator Pedro Espada will be the first incumbent targeted for defeat by the New Roosevelt Initiative’s Independent Expenditure campaign. The New Roosevelt Initiative is a multi-year effort to elect “New Roosevelts” to the State Legislature – individuals who will go to Albany with a clear agenda of cleaning up the mess created by decades of dysfunction and corruption.

“Pedro Espada represents all that is wrong with state government today,” explained Samuels. “He’s a wealthy guy from one of the wealthiest parts of Westchester who lines his pockets with taxpayer money yet fails to address the real needs of his district – in which he doesn’t even live.”

“The people of the 33rd Senatorial District face real challenges getting affordable housing, access to health care and decent schools,” Samuels continued, “but they have a State Senator who takes money intended for health care and uses it to hire family members and cronies instead; who ignores tenants and sides with landlords; and who turns his back on Democratic values so he can cozy up to his rich Republican friends in the State Senate.”

“There are members of the state Senate from both parties who want to fix Albany and restore dignity and integrity to the Legislature,” Samuels said. “While Pedro Espada may be the rottenest apple in the basket, there are also bad apples on both sides of the aisle that need to be thrown out of office.”

“When I am elected State Senate President and Lieutenant Governor, I will continue to raise money for the New Roosevelt Initiative to oust these bad apples from the legislature and push for real reforms so that our State Legislature can be the best in the nation,” declared Samuels.

The New Roosevelt Initiative has committed a minimum of $250,000 to a campaign to vote Pedro Espada out of office, developing smart field operations and providing independent support for Espada’s opponent in the Democratic Primary.

“No one is more of an embarrassment to New York State than Pedro Espada,” said Samuels. “His repeated violations of campaign finance law; the convictions from his campaign workers stealing from AIDS patients to prop up his campaign; his leadership in the shameful coup that sought to restore Republicans to the power they abused for decades; and the most recent revelation that he plundered his health care network for millions of dollars – it’s a record of shame that needs to end now.”

“This year, which is a year of change, will see cynical, corrupt Senators like Pedro Espada voted out and decent people of integrity voted in, “Samuels stated. “Pedro Espada is our first target, and in September, he’ll be the first to go. But in the coming months, we will target more bad incumbents, we will elect more good challengers and we will make our state great again.”

To volunteer or contribute to the New Roosevelt Initiative go to www.NewRooseveltInitiative.com.